Live Report: Sweets kick off Electric Picnic 2025

As the mid-afternoon sun filtered through the trees of Fishtown, Electric Picnic’s hidden enclave began to stir.

Onto the woodland stage stepped Sweets, the alternative rock supergroup  from Limerick composed of Liam Marley (guitar and vocals), Lorcan Bourke (drums), Keith Lawler (guitar), and Bertie Kelly (bass).

Born out of the collective pedigree of renowned Limerick acts Tooth, Giveamanakick, Windings, and Japanese Jesus, the band wasted no time in stamping their authority on the crowd.

From the first note, Sweets delivered a heavy metal assault laced with unexpected twists, melancholic vocals drifting into grunge-tinged refrains,  before plunging headlong into relentless, distorted riffage. There was little space to breathe, as each track bled seamlessly into the next, held firmly together by Kelly’s sticky, groove-driven bass lines.

Highlights came thick and fast: Lawler unleashed a blistering guitar solo, while Bourke’s tight drumming kept the chaos razor-sharp.

The band leaned into their dark, cinematic-like interludes, stretching songs into sprawling, psychedelic territories before snapping back with crushing heaviness. Their command of dynamics was magnetic, pulling listeners deep into a trance, then shaking them awake with noise-drenched crescendos.

Midway through, the crowd was beckoned forward, "Come up and get closer, make us cozy," said lead vocalist Marley.

By the time the band tore into their penultimate track, 'Charm Offensive', the guitar-driven raucous in the tent began to draw in passerbys.

Closing with the brooding Water Town and its lyric, “There’s nothing to fear, I welcome their hatred, I welcome their hate”, the four-piece left a lasting impression of menace and beauty colliding on stage.

Having released their self-titled debut album in 2024, the band’s live show proved just how far they’ve already come, and hinted at even bigger things to follow. Their one-hour set ended with a bold shout of "Free Palestine".

The long weekend ahead couldn’t have kicked off in better fashion.